Ingredients:

  • 1 loaf High-quality White Pullman Bread, thinly sliced
  • 1 loaf Whole Wheat or Pumpernickel Bread, thinly sliced
  • 0.5 cup Unsalted European-style butter, softened
  • 1 large English Cucumber
  • 12 oz Cream cheese, room temperature and divided
  • 1 tbsp Fresh chives, finely snipped
  • 1 tsp Fresh lemon zest
  • 0.25 tsp Maldon sea salt
  • 0.25 tsp Cracked white pepper
  • 6 large Eggs
  • 0.25 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
  • 0.5 tsp Mild curry powder
  • 1 tbsp Mango chutney, finely chopped
  • 0.5 cup Fresh watercress sprigs
  • 6 oz Cold-smoked Atlantic Salmon
  • 1 tbsp Fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tsp Non-pareil capers, drained
  • 1 tsp Fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Use a mandoline to slice the English cucumber into paper-thin rounds. Toss with Maldon salt and let sit in a colander for 10 minutes to draw out moisture. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Shock in ice water, peel, and grate using a box grater. Fold in Kewpie mayo, curry powder, and mango chutney.
  3. Prepare the spreads: Mix 8 oz cream cheese with chives and lemon zest for the cucumber sandwiches. Mix 4 oz cream cheese with dill and lemon juice for the salmon sandwiches. These can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
  4. Apply the 'Butter Barrier': Using an offset spatula, spread a micro-thin, edge-to-edge layer of softened butter on one side of every bread slice. This forms a crucial moisture barrier to keep the bread crisp.
  5. Assemble Cucumber: Spread herb cream cheese over buttered white bread, layer cucumbers in an overlapping shingle pattern, season with white pepper, and top with a second buttered slice.
  6. Assemble Coronation Egg: Spread egg salad over buttered wheat bread, top with fresh watercress, and close with a second buttered slice.
  7. Assemble Smoked Salmon: Spread dill cream cheese over buttered pumpernickel or wheat bread, layer smoked salmon ribbons and capers, and close with a second buttered slice.
  8. Wrap the assembled sandwiches tightly in slightly damp kitchen towels and chill for 30 minutes to set the structure.
  9. Using a sharp serrated knife, trim all crusts from the sandwiches. Slice each large sandwich into three even finger-sized rectangles and serve immediately.